The download link for the Calico Firearms/Calico Light Weapon Systems Promotional/Sales Video is located at the very bottom of this story. You’ll have to click on "Read More" hypertext (below) to get to it.

DefRev is thrilled to be able to bring you this golden oldie. It’s a little blast from the past that we here at DefRev like to call the "Calico Light Weapon Systems Promotional/Sales Video" featuring the Calico Firearms family of lightweight helical-feed 9mm submachine guns being fired in mock combat/CQB scenarios. It’s entertaining to watch, and it’s an exclusive.

The Calico family of helical-feed submachine guns’ main claim to fame is its use of 50-round and 100-round helical magazines that are readily apparent in the video. The great thing about the helical magazine is that it allows one to fit 50-100 rounds into an unobtrusive envelope when compared to…

more traditional weapon systems utilizing standard box and drum mags that attach to the bottom of the weapon.

Of course, if Calico Firearms were still manufacturing and selling guns today, they would probably have to make a couple of modifications/design changes to the weapon system, in order to remain competitive in the small arms marketplace.

First, they would probably have to redesign the weapon so that the helical magazine attached to the bottom of the weapon (like the Bizon 9mm submachine gun made by Izhmash), instead of the top. Why is this? Because, nowadays, profesional military and LE operators want a true picatinny rail system that allows them to mount all kinds of stuff on, including optical gunsights and back-up flip-up iron sights on the top rail, and they just wouldn’t be able to utilize those with the Calico’s top-mounted helical mag configuration.

Calico would also probably have to convert the guns into either 5.56x45mm carbines/subcarbines or PDW’s (Personal Defense Weapons), as submachine guns have been largely phased out of military Special Operations and LE SWAT/SRT use, in favor of 5.56x45mm carbines/subcarbines, over the last few years.

As a side note, DefRev’s favorite Calico submachine gun is the M-960A mini-subgun, which is a sweet little piece. You’ll see it being fired in the video.

The video was shot/produced by the Bill Nelson Media Group for Calico Light Weapon Systems (we believe) sometime between 1989 and 1992 (probably 1990). This is unconfirmed. It’s our further understanding that it was shot in Bakersfield, CA with some help from either the Bakersfield Police Dept. or Bakersfield Sheriff’s Dept. This is also unconfirmed, as of this writing.

Recommendation: DefRev recommends that you actually download the video and view it on your own system, rather than trying to launch/view it off the web. This is because it’s a rather large file. An added benefit of downloading it to your computer and viewing it that way is that you will then have your very own copy of it. Since the video is in Quicktime format, you will need to have QuickTime on your system to view it. If you don’t already have QuickTime, you can download the program here.

Very Important Instructions for Downloading and Playing Video: If you’d like to download and view the Calico Light Weapon Systems Promotional/Sales Video, please follow these simple steps, to the letter : 1) Right-click on the link (below) to the video. 2) Left-click on "Save Target As…" inside the box that pops open, which will start the download process and save the video to your computer. DefRev recommends that you save the video either to your "Desktop" or "My Videos" file. 3) Once download is complete and the video file is sitting on your system, either left-click on the "Open" button in the download window or close that window and double click on the file itself to launch it.

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.